Wafers are used as the carrier for producing integrated circuits. In actual production, a prepared wafer needs to have an ultra-clean, flat surface. Present methods of preparing the ultra-clean surface can be divided into two categories: wet processes such as immersion and spray techniques and dry processes such as chemical vapor and plasma based techniques. The wet processes are relatively extensive methods, which typically consist of a series of steps of immersing or spraying the wafers with appropriate chemical solutions.
The prior art provides an apparatus that employs wet processing to perform ultra-cleaning treatment for wafers. The apparatus comprises a micro chamber that is capable of tightly receiving and processing a semiconductor wafer. The micro chamber may be opened for loading and removing the semiconductor wafer and then closed for processing the wafer. In the process, chemical agents and other fluids are introduced into the micro chamber. The opening and closing of the micro chamber is implemented by a relative shift of the upper and lower chamber inner walls forming the micro chamber along the perpendicular direction, wherein the relative shift is due to driving of two drives in the apparatus.
In practical use, it is found that, in some cases chemical agents need to flow in a gap between the micro chamber and the processed semiconductor wafer in a predetermined manner. For example, the chemical agents flow from one side of the chamber inner wall to the other. Still for example, the chemical agents flow along an annular flow within the chamber. In the prior art, the method is to control chemical agents to enter an inlet position of the micro chamber and exit from an outlet position of the micro chamber, and the method simultaneously uses gases that flow into the micro chamber as a carrier during flowing of the chemical agents such that the chemical agents flow in the predetermined manner. However, this method cannot fully satisfy user requirements. In addition, in the semiconductor processing apparatuses in the prior art, the chemical agents under discharge processing or experiencing the discharge process mainly depend on a pressure change within the chamber. In some instances, the collection effect of the chemical agents may be further simplified.
Accordingly, the present disclosure provides another semiconductor processing apparatus that is capable of controlling flow of chemical agents within a micro chamber for better and completely meeting user requirements.